FINE establishment that it is, St Sampson’s School is not renowned for its sporting achievements. But perhaps its biggest has for so long simply been to endure facilities inferior to most other schools in the island.
The move to Les Nicolles under the new title of St Sampson’s High will finally see the secondary boys and girls of the north of the island receive the facilities they deserve.
From their elevated perch on Delancey, St Sampson’s pupils have for 100 years enjoyed the magnificent views of St Peter Port Harbour, Belle Greve Bay and the Little Russel.
On the downside is the exposure to the icy northerly chills.
Playing football on the park, often on rock-hard worn-out pitches, has placed many a young man in danger of hypothermia.
And inside the old granite walls of the school, the gym facilities have not
always been adequate, as they are now.
But many an island sports star has walked through the gates aged 11 and left four or five years later so much better for his or her time at St Sampson’s.
A lack of pre-war student lists precludes me from naming the Guernsey greats who no doubt starred for the school in its first half-century.
However, since the 50s, many stars have learned their sport there.
Take golf.
Bobby Eggo, Nigel Vaudin and David Nicolle were all educated overlooking the Russel and some of the stars of tomorrow, young men such as Thomas Le Huray, Craig Shorto, Ross Wheeler and Jack Mitchell, have only just left the school.
In football, the list is endless. Here are just a few.
All three Blondel brothers, Colin Le Page, Alan Bougourd and Dave Lesbirel through to the recent crop of Dave Rihoy, Gavin Le Page, Sam Cochrane and Marc McGrath.
The current island under-16 team features several St Sampson’s boys, most notably the highly-rated Scott Bougourd and in recent years the school sides have had their share of trophy successes at the various age levels.
The Elmy brothers, Rod and Neil, started their volleyball careers there and in recent times the Sharks girls’ basketball team have joined the local leagues.
The volleyball venture sparked by Alan Scott, who had taken over as head of sport, has proved a blessing for the sport in Guernsey as a whole.
Neil Elmy recalls that Scott put together a side for a tournament and they did not look back.
‘We used a pair of tights as a net and trained on Sunday afternoons,’ recalled the player.
‘We did quite well and enjoyed it.’
The rest is volleyball history and as well as the Elmys, superb players such as Gary Kimber and Gary de Jersey came through the ranks via the school team.
Many a classy runner has represented St Sampson’s and there have been the odd Liberation Day road relay successes, the most recent being two years ago when the winning squad included two youngsters who will appear in their first Island Games this summer, Matt Loveridge and Michael Batiste.
Also since the millennium, Blake Smith ran into the island schools record books at 800m and one recent school year produced Island Games sprint finalists Danielle Troke and Emma Batiste.
Before they came along, Games gold medal-winning thrower Emma King attended the school and long before she came on the scene was the big-throwing discus lad, Simon Burdett.
But back in the early 50s, Alan Eker was a handy runner and recalls the Liberation Road relay triumph of 1950.
‘I think there were five in the team. Peter Ayres started it and I was on the last leg.
‘Whoever gave me the baton gave me a good lead of about 50 yards.’
Other members of the winning running squad of that year are thought to have been Henry de la Mare, Derek Gaudion and Ralph Hunkin.
In swimming, current pupil Matthew Butt is making waves right at the top in British swimming.
Sadly, cricket has never been a strength but without doubt many of the island’s top softball stars have attended the school.
Arguably the finest sports master the school ever had was Barry Hill, who arrived from his native Wales in the late 1950s and brought new ideas and youthful enthusiasm to the boys’ side of PE, alongside the late Pam Pike on the girls’ front.
Dave Finn, president of Priaulx champions Northerners, was the goalkeeper in the school side that won the league and cup double in 1957-8.
‘He [Hill] was excellent . . . a breath of fresh air,’ said Finn of the teacher who was to win Muratti honours.
‘He was young and so different,’ the North supremo added, also recalling that a victory over Forest clinched them the league.
Schools football in the pre-60s period was altogether different from the modern format.
For a start, Elizabeth College and the Intermediate were yet to join the leagues and secondary schools Les Beaucamps, St Peter Port and La Mare had yet to be built. It was still the era of Vauvert and St Peter’s.
‘Vauvert were our main opposition and I’m sure we beat Forest 4-0 to win the league,’ said Finn of a side which had only one player, Carlo Polli, featuring in that year’s Star Trophy lineup.
Hill has nothing but the fondest of memories of his PE teaching days in the island, but admitted he was shocked at the facilities that faced him on his arrival.
‘For a start I was disappointed that there was just a hall. I had hoped we might have gym.’
PE, therefore, was conducted in the main hall and that posed its own problems.
‘When we had PE lessons we had to be careful about the noise because we were surrounded by classrooms.
‘The noise factor was always a problem to other people.’
On the plus side there was no shortage of talent and successes.
‘It was great to see the kids being successful,’ said the man who remained in charge of PE until the late 1960s.While he finished his teaching career in the technical drawing room, he said that the positive influence of sport on young people’s lives should never be underestimated’If the kids have an interest in sport they have an interest in sport for life.’
Article posted on 28th April, 2007 - 12.00am
Loading ...
Most Commented: